Quick detachable starter mount



Sept' 4, 1951 R. E. SEARS 2,566,466

QUICK DETACHABLE STARTER MOUNT Filed Aug. 5, 1948 IN VEN TOR. R/CHARD E. `IE/RJ Patented Sept. 4, 1951 UNITE D sur mi: OFFICE:

QUICK DETACHABLE s'rARfrr#MoN'rv RiiilizmlL sears, sialer Heights, omanssignb to, Jack" & HeintzPreeision I IduStriesL'IIC., Cleveland; Ohimacorporation of Delaware Application August 3, 1948;` Seri-al o, 42,3117A invention relats'in general to' starte'rfsfoi" internal combustion engines and more particu? lany'to means for nimuntingfithejstartron the engine for cranking'the` engine and is a continua'" tionin'part oi my coi-pending" application, Serial No. 706,457, for Quick' Detachable Starter Mount, led October" 29, 1946, 1'ic"` w"PatentNo.` 2,5 392 In aircraft engines'fas s tatd'in myicoLp" ne application, itis desirable and"`usualpract`ice to provide means for detachably securing the starter to the engine `so that theforward end of thesta'rter extends into thengine' crankcase and to' have complementaryadjacent `ratchet starter and engine cranl'shaftljaws that are normallydiseip gaged withlmansin the starter to effect-engageL ment and disengagement of th'ejavvs, The usuall practice is to provide thefstartei" with a mounting ange with a seriesof 'holes to receive bolts for fastening "the flangeto the' engine as the forward end` of the starter extends into the c'rankc'aseL The tightening and loosening of these Abolts is"V time consuming and it is'diicult to insure unl form tightness ofthe bolts in assembly.' Mor`e`(:i"v" `e1",A

' 25 flcult or impossible that sonrie other ngineac-l" cessories must b'e removed for starter installation,"

due to inaccessibility"`in many aircraft, installa` tion and removal of the 'starter is either' so' dif-` adjustment `or removal.

In my co-pending application there is di'seisu a quick detachable mountthat involves" only the'v manual tightening or vloosening of a single bolt to effect starter installation,` adjustment orjr-l moval. Moreover, it" discloses an automatic spring operated locking means for-"locking the"` bolt in any adjusted position.

The present invention'has to do with improvements over the disclosure of my co=pending ap-1 plication.

It is an object of the presentinventionto lirovide an improved automatic lok'ng means for the single bolt attaching anddetaching means. Briefly, `the locking means may include a plate normally spring-pressed upwardly to engageithe polygonal bolt head to prevent its turning: When it is desired to manually turn the bolt by a socket wrench, a downward pressure on the locking plate, against the action of the springs, pushes the plate out of such locking engagement and permits the Wrench to turn the bolt. However, I have found that operators, in applying the socket wrench onto the bolt head, have a tendency to turn the bolt withoutrstpressingf ar enough downwardly to be sure that the plate is out of locking engagement with the bolt. As a result, the plate is sometimes damaged or broken. My

p Referring more pafticuli ifjt'oL the drawings, the starter' housingfis generally indcatedat" l` and theeng'ine crankcase'at. In' converfitional11 `1"`a"c tice the forward, or' right, 4end of' the starter'as`J viewed in Figure 1, would beprovidedwithan en largedmounting flag Wtna series of bolt' holes to receive bolts to entend "therethrough for'locl'' ingthe flange `to the engnelcasiiigll The 4installa tion, adjustmentand removal xof starters in" sur;` a manner isgtinie consuming; andmany timsfdif, cult,` iflnot imp ofssfibjlfea because4 of in acces s'ibilityj Without removing other aircraft engine accesi' sories.

Therefore, lin` the present v fention the originelL cranlfrcase m'ay 'b efprovid With'v a. ring gear `3", rigid with tnelcrjankejasef'z; andfiiying fenai spiral threads' to bme'nggd"by"'simila`nia1 spiral threads 5 of a gear adapter 6 which abuts the inner shoulder of a mounting plate 4 secured by bolts 26 to the starter housing. To assist in mounting the starter, a series of screw bolts 21 are embedded-in the crankcase to extend outwardly through the radial flange of ring gear 3. On each bolt 21 is a threaded sleeve 28 that extends through a hole in the mounting plate 4 to position the starter and prevent its turning.

With such an assembly, it is readily seen that a manual rotation of the pinion 9 in one direction forces the gear adapter 6 to rotate inwardly in` the ring gear 3 which draws the starter, with its engine cranking jaw 29, into the crankcase, to the right, by outward pressure of the gear adapter 6 on the mounting flange 4, and a similar manual rotation of the pinion in the opposite direction withdraws the starter from the crankcase, to the left.

For the purpose of providing a simple single control means for so rotating and so installing, adjusting and removing the starter, the starter housing is provided with an angularly extending bore 1 in its wall to receive a bushing 8 in which is removably secured a manually rotatable pinion 9. This pinion is provided with bevelled teeth I to engage similar teeth Il on the inner end of the gear adapter 6. Thus a manual turning of pinion 9 physically moves the starter into or out ofthe engine crankcase according tothe direction of manual rotation of the pinion.

Assuming the starter jaw 29 to be a right hand jaw, the spiral male threads on the gear adapter and the mating female threads on the ring gear 3 are left hand threads, or if the jaw 29 is a left hand jaw, the mating threads are made to be right hand threads.

In my co-pending application, as in my present application, there is disclosed an automatic locking means for locking the pinion in any adjusted position, in the present application best shown in Figures 2 and 3. In greater detail the pinion has a pivot bearing point 3|)V to engage a corresponding extension of bore 'I. The pinion has a reduced diameter portion I2 to receive a packing ring I3; `Loosely fitting over the pinion is a plate I4 apertured to receive the pinion 9 and a pair of ordinary screw mounting bolts I5 and I6 screwed to the starter housing. Above plate I4 is a second plate I'I provided with usual apertures to receive bolts I5 and I6. Above plate I'I are washers I8 and i9 and securing and tightening nuts 2D 4and 2I on bolts I5 and I6', respectively. This upper plate II has a central dodecagonal aperture 22 through which the hexagonal bolt head 23 of pinion 9 protrudes. An application of a wrench to effect turning of the nut 23, and hence the pinion 9, and the simultaneous downward pressure with the Wrench upon plate I'I against the action of compression coil springs 24 and 25, brings' the dodecagonal aperture 22 out of registry with the hexagonal bolt head 23 and permits the latter to be'turned in either direction. Release of manual downward pressure on plate II'permits springs 24 and 25 to restore registry between the hexagonal bolt head 23 and the dodecagonal aperture 22, Awhich latter automatically and effectively locks bolt head 23 against rotation in either direction.

An improvement over my co-pending application in this regard includes the provision of an upwardly bowed plate 3l superimposed upon plate I1 and held in place by the same tightening nuts 20 and 2I that hold plate I1 in place.

V4f The upwardly bowed portion of plate 3| has its upper surface flush with the top of the bolt head and is provided with a central aperture 32 large enough to leave ample clearance about the bolt head. The bowed portion is also high enough to prevent engagement of the bolt head by a socket Wrench until downward pressure on plate 3I is exerted, and consequently on plate I'I, lagainst the action of springs 24 and 25, to force plate I'I out of locking engagement with the bolt head. In this manner, the bolt head is free to be manually turned only after the locking plate I'I is removed from locking engagement with the bolt head. In the absence of plate 3I, it would be easily possible for the operator to manually turn the bolt while locked by plate II, resulting in the damaging or breaking of the locking plate.

From the foregoing, it will Vbe seen that there has been provided a simple and eicient means whereby an engine starter may be quick detachably secured to an engine for engine cranking purposes and insured against loosening during the Ycranking operation, and also an automatic locking means that effectively locks the starter in any desired adjusted position without interference in the manual installation, adjustment or removal of the starter from the engine and which is foolproof against breakage by inadvertent adjustment of the single bolt installation means.

Iclaim:

In combination an engine and a starter therefor both of which have a housing, a rotatable starter jaw, means for securing, adjusting and detaching said starter and engine housings, said housings having complementary engaging threaded members, an internal gear carried by said starter housing, a manually rotatable polygonally headed pinion extending through the starter housing and engaging said internal gear to rotate the latter in either direction to move said starter housing into or out of said engine, automatic locking means resiliently urged upwardly to normally lock said pinion head in any adjusted position, said locking means comprising a polygonally apertured plate resiliently 'urged upwardly to engage said pinion head in locked relation, a second plate superimposed upon said locking plate having a central aperture to surround said pinion head with clearance and having its upper surface normallyflush with the top of said pinionk head to preclude manual .turning of said pinion until both of said plates have been manually forced downwardly to bring said locking plate out of locking engagement with said pinion head.

' RICHARD E. SEARS.

REFERENCES CITED The followingl references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PA'I'ENTs 

